


Taken

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Gratsu [30]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fear, Feral Behavior, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mating Bond, Missions Gone Wrong, Protectiveness, Rescue, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-28 03:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16715310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Feral. Wild and Untamed. It's a side of Natsu that is rarely seen, but a Dragon is at its most destructive when his mate is threatened, as those who've just taken Gray are about to discover.





	Taken

   Feral. That was the only word that Lucy could come up with at that moment to describe how Natsu looked and for the first time, she found herself truly afraid of her best friend. She had seen him furious before, he was too hot-headed for her not to have witnessed his temper. However, there had always been glimpses of his usual warmth and attitude clearly visible within his anger, but this time there was only fury and all because Gray had been taken from him. Happy stirred nervously in her arms, his eyes fixated on his partner with a mix of fear and concern.

   A low growl rumbled through the Dragon-slayer, and despite herself Lucy found herself taking an automatic step back, she usually knew that there was no way that he would ever lash out at them no matter how angry he was. But from the odd gleam that had appeared in his eyes, she knew that his inner dragon was at the forefront, and she didn’t trust him to recognise friend from foe at the moment.

“Lucy,” Happy whispered nervously finally tearing his eyes away from Natsu to risk a quick glance up at her, startled by her action. She hastily shushed him as wild, eyes flickered in their direction and she swallowed hard as she met the Dragon-slayer’s gaze for a brief moment finally spotting the pain and anguish hidden behind his anger and her expression immediately softened.

“Natsu…” She began hesitantly only to freeze when he held up a hand to stop her, noting the scales that had started to spread across his skin for the first time. Natsu held her gaze for a second longer before glancing away, his eyes becoming unfocused and she frowned wondering what had distracted him. It was an expression that she had witnessed several times before in battles, usually when either he or Gray had run into difficulty, but both of them had refused to answer her when she had asked what it meant, and not even Erza had been able to force an answer from them. It only lasted a moment, and then his gaze sharpened, and she shivered at the dangerous gleam that had appeared in his eyes. It was a look that promised vengeance, and she flinched when his gaze turned back to her, and his voice was a low rumble when he finally spoke.

“You should take Happy and get out of here.”

“What? No!” Lucy protested vehemently, shaking her head and glancing down at Happy who looked equally horrified by the request. “There’s no way we’re leaving you alone in here!” There was no way he was in any state to be left on his own, and she was fairly sure that Gray would never forgive her if she left Natsu while he was in this state.

“You don’t want to be in here,” Natsu growled, and her eyes widened at the dark threat in his voice, and she opened her mouth to ask what he was planning to do when he continued speaking in a marginally softer tone. “Get those other mages out of here as well, and make sure that you’re a safe distance away.” Relief flooded her at this glimpse of her best friend shining through his overwhelming anger, as long as he could still show that concern towards the lives of others there was still hope that he wasn’t too far gone.

“Natsu…”

“Lucy…I can’t,” he cut across her once more, his expression pained as he tried to find the words to explain the storm he could feel raging in his chest. “I can’t guarantee how much control I’m going to have, and I don’t want you two caught in the crossfire.”

   Lucy hesitated as she studied him, seeing the honest concern for her and Happy in his eyes and she frowned. She didn’t want to leave him on his own, but she wasn’t sure that she was going to be much use, and in this state, it was clear that his usual control and definitions of friend and foe had gone out of the window. _And if anything happens_ … She knew that he would never forgive himself if he unintentionally injured either of them or even the enemies that they had already managed to take down and she sighed in defeat before asking quietly.

“Will you be okay?”

“When I have Gray back I will be,” Natsu replied honestly, pain and longing thick in his voice before they were swiftly banished as his flames flared brightly and he added tersely. “Now go!” Realising that she wasn’t doing any good here she reluctantly took a step backwards, glancing down as Happy began to protest, but apparently, he had seen the same thing he had as he quickly fell silent and he didn’t complain when she turned and started to move down the corridor. She paused again after a few steps, turning to glance back at him as she called out to him.

“Promise me that you won’t get yourself killed!” His head moved in what might have been a nod, and her arms tightened around Happy before she called out once more. “Say it!” She knew it was a foolish demand, but she also knew that Natsu would do everything in his power to keep a promise and she wanted to make sure he had a reason to come back.

“I promise,” Natsu replied grimly, before whispering to himself. “I won’t let anyone die.” Lucy caught the whisper though and nodded, before forcing herself to turn and head back along the corridor with Happy, praying that she had made the right decision to leave him behind. Her mind flashing back to the moment that had caused this entire situation…

_“Get down! It’s going to explode!” Natsu’s sudden shout broke them out of their shock, and they knew better than to waste time asking questions, instead diving for the ground in the hopes of missing the worst of it. Lucy had grabbed Happy on the way, wrapping her arms around the Exceed and tucking him against herself so that she could shield him from the worst of the blast. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gray doing the same with Erza, but as they hit the ground another hidden rune trap materialised as it was activated and she had just opened her mouth to scream out a warning when the air above them filled with flame and she was forced to duck her head to protect herself._

_The overwhelming heat had only lasted for a moment before the familiar sound of Natsu devouring the flames filled the air and Lucy let out a sigh of relief. Honestly how many times would they have gotten themselves killed if it wasn’t for that ability? Still, it was only when she heard him let out a contented burp that she had dared lift her head once more, briefly noting his bloated stomach with a fond roll of her eyes before she remembered what she had seen before the explosion. Wide-eyed she whirled around to look at the spot where Gray and Erza had fallen only to come up short as she realised that there was no sign of them._

_A vicious snarl from behind her told her that Natsu had just realised this as well and she winced as she turned to look at him, paling as she took in the sheer fury in his expression and all she could think in that moment was that their opponents had no idea what they had just unleashed._

****

   Natsu was barely aware of the wild flames that were spreading in his wake, every part of him was focused on the faint spark in the back of his mind that was guiding him towards Gray. Nothing else mattered until he had his mate back at his side where he belonged. The moment that he’d realised that Gray was gone it had felt like he’d been doused in icy water, and he knew without a doubt that if it hadn’t been for the fact that he could still feel his mate in the back of his mind then he would have completely lost control right there and then. However, the fact that he could the odd spike of pain coming through their bond was gradually pushing him closer to the edge, and he clenched his fists.

_If Gray was badly hurt there would be hell to pay…_

**

  Gray hissed as he reached up to brush his fingers cautiously against the cut on the side of his head, scowling as they came away covered in blood despite having applied ice to it earlier in an attempt to stem the bleeding. Grimacing he wiped his fingers on his trousers before leaning back against the wall with a sigh, his eyes rising to meet Erza’s across the room and offering her a weak smile when he realised that she was watching him in concern.

“Are you alright?” She asked softly and he could see her inching closer to the edge of the rune net that was holding her prisoner and he hastily held up a hand to stop her, they had both already been shocked by the barriers during their attempts to free themselves and he didn’t want her to injure herself for his sake. Besides, there was still a chance that the first ones to find them might not be their friends, and they couldn’t afford to leave themselves defenceless. Although saying that, while they could still access their magic it couldn’t pass through the barrier so it wouldn’t do them much good if the enemy decided to pick them off from a distance.

“I’m fine it’s just a cut,” he replied dismissively, knowing that they were lucky that was the worst injury that they had gained when the transporter trap and tossed them into this room at ceiling level. More annoying was the fact that they had landed on yet more rune traps, resulting in their current situation of having to sit and wait for rescue, something that would have rankled at the best of times but right now it was driving Gray up the wall. He knew Natsu, knew the demands that were placed on him because of his draconic nature, and he knew without a doubt that the Dragon-slayer must be nearly out of his mind with worry at the moment. “Damn it, he’s not going to let me out of his sight for the next few months,” he muttered but there was no heat to his words.

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Erza said gently, and he frowned opening his mouth to point out that he wasn’t the one that needed reassurance. But he came up short as he found her staring at him with an understanding expression written across her face and instead he found himself sighing and giving a small nod before glancing towards the door.

_Please hurry Natsu._

**

   Natsu paused to glance back at the building he’d just exited, his eyes narrowing as he studied the flames now hungrily devouring the warehouse and there was enough conscious thought left for him to hope that Lucy and Happy had managed to get to safety, but he wasn’t turning back to check. Every part of him was screaming that he was heading in the right direction, but at the same time, the feeling of pain that Gray was letting off had grown stronger and with a final glance at the burning building he turned and hurried into the next building.

   He was partway down the first corridor when one of the guild-members came pelting along in the opposite direction, colliding heavily with him with a startled cry, and Natsu immediately shoved him away with an angry snarl feeling no sympathy when the man cried out in pain from the flames covering his body. For a moment he contemplated attacking, both parts of him acknowledging the man as an enemy, but some final shred of humanity and the fact that he knew Gray was waiting for him made him hesitate.

“Run,” he growled warningly after a long moment, and there was something in his voice and expression that made the mage turn tail and flee, and yet for a moment he still had to fight the urge to chase after him. It went against his instincts to let a potential threat to his mate go free, and he had taken a jerky step after the fleeing mage when Gray’s voice whispered in the back of his mind.

**_Please hurry Natsu…_ **

  It was impossible to corral his thoughts enough to give a coherent response. Instead, he sent a burst of warmth through the bond trying to convey that he was on his way, reassurance that he was okay, and the love he felt for the Ice mage all in one go.

*

  Gray straightened as there was a brief flicker at the back of his mind, his eyes widening a split second before Natsu’s warmth burst through the bond and wrapped itself around him and he found himself unable to stop himself letting a sigh of relief at the sensation. It had bothered him more than he had thought to feel the distance between them, and because they had agreed to keep this part of their relationship private, he hadn’t been able to share his worries with Erza. Catching her studying him with curious eyes he offered a small smile before tilting his head towards the door.

“Rescue is on the way.”

“You’re sure?” She asked, not quite able to keep the scepticism out of her voice and he couldn’t really blame her, but all he did was give a sharp nod his expression showing nothing but certainty, and after a moment she sighed. “Good, it was getting rather dull in here,” she added with a small grin and Gray glanced at her incredulously for a moment, before catching the humour in her eyes and he coolly arched an eyebrow at her before asking drolly.

“Is that a comment on my company?”

“Not really,” Erza replied with a small smirk, relieved that she had managed to drag him into a light-hearted conversation as she knew that he had been more worried about Natsu than he had let on in their brief conversations and she knew that the Dragon-slayer would react badly if he found a stressed out Gray waiting for him. “Although it is a bit of a drag to be stuck with a guy who is constantly thinking about someone else.”

“Sorry,” Gray returned the smirk, although he couldn’t really deny her accusation and more importantly he didn’t want to. Natsu had never really been far from his thoughts even back when they were just rivals, but now it was practically impossible for him to keep his thoughts away from the Dragon-slayer, and part of him knew that change should bother him far more than it did.

“No you’re not,” she replied with a fond smile, and he laughed before admitting softly.

“No, I’m not.”

**

   Lucy paced anxiously on the grass beyond the warehouses, each minute that passed without a sign of her friends returning adding to her worry and it was only the fact that it was the three strongest members of her team in there that stopped her from running back in there. It didn’t help that the building they had originally been in had gone up in flames a few minutes ago, and she knew that there would probably only be a charred ruin left behind when Natsu had finished. She winced slightly, knowing that they were probably going to lose any chance of getting the reward for this job, but she couldn’t bring herself to mind, knowing that Natsu was running purely on instinct at the moment.

   Sighing she turned to glance at the small group of mages that she had managed to apprehend and remove before the building had gone up in flames. Some had escaped while they were distracted, but the rest were now firmly tied up with Virgo currently keeping watch over them in case any of them were daft enough to try and escape. At that moment in time, Lucy wasn’t feeling too forgiving towards them, and part of her almost hoped that they would test her Spirit. Exchanging a terse smile with her spirit, she shifted her gaze across to Happy who was watching the blazing building with a worried frown.

“They’ll be fine,” she said softly as she moved across to join him, wincing as he glanced up at her with teary eyes, but after a moment he offered her a tremulous smile.

“Aye.”

**

_Close._

    He was so close now, the spark in his mind that represented Gray was blazing and pulsing with power, pulling him forwards at even greater speeds. His inner dragon was shifting in his chest, desperate to see its mate and check he was alright, but still terrified that something else could happen. That something could steal Gray away from them, and Natsu swallowed hard at that thought, his flames flickering for a moment before he shook his head. Gray is just ahead. I can still feel him, that means he’s still here with me. _He’s fine. He’s_ … Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy to convince himself as he’d hoped, and he found himself unconsciously picking up his pace.

_Gray. Gray. Gray. Gray!_

   The flames covering him intensified as he broke into a run, and he was vaguely aware of the fact that his magic was beginning to dim around the edges but he paid it no mind, trusting that his magic would last long enough for him to find and reclaim his mate. Skidding around a corner, his eyes narrowed as he took in the reinforced door that waited for him at the end of the corridor, his searching gaze spotting the faint evidence of runic magic this time and he snarled. Instinctively he knew that this was the last barrier keeping him from Gray, and he had to fight the urge to just charge in, the human part of him realising that he needed to step carefully as he had no idea what these traps might do.

   Cautiously he edged nearer. Halting a safe distance away and tossing a ball of fire directly into the centre of the trap and wincing as white light flared immediately, dousing the flames before it dimmed. He glared at it, scowling as he tried to work out how to get around the barrier, a task made increasingly difficult by his draconic side which was twisting and howling in his chest. Tasting copper in his mouth he blinked, realising that he had bitten his lip and with a growl, he straightened. Even when he wasn’t in this state, he was no good at this thinking things through malarkey, and it apparently wasn’t doing him any good to start now. _Gray…_ getting through that door and getting to Gray is all that matters.

  Closing his eyes, he let his draconic side rise to the forefront, knowing that he was going to need every shred of power he could get for what he was planning and not trusting his more rational side not to freeze at the wrong moment. There was a brief pause, and then all he could hear was the roar of his flames as they burst out from him with a hunger that scared him slightly. His eyes flying open as they shot forwards towards the door, causing the entire corridor to shake around him but he made no move to rein them in as they roared around him.

_Gray!_

****

  Both Gray and Erza stiffened as they realised that the air in their prison was rapidly warming up, and they exchanged knowing looks only second before the door to their room shook violently under an impact from outside. “NATSU!” Gray shouted before Erza could warn him to be quiet, after all, there was still a chance that the dark guild still had some members on the loose around. There was another loud crash, and a moment later the door collapsed inward, flames rushing into the room for a moment before they were hastily brought back under control, and for a moment all they could do was stare in stunned disbelief at Natsu as he appeared in the doorway.

“Natsu…?” Erza whispered nervously as she studied him with wide eyes. The fury burning in his eyes and the scales that had appeared on his skin bringing back uncomfortable memories of what had happened back in the Tower of Heaven and she winced. He had caused more than enough destruction, back then, and she dreaded to think just how much he might have created today. However, the Dragon-slayer didn’t even glance at her as his gaze was wholly fixated on Gray who had surged to his feet only to come to a halt as he reached the edge of the trap he was contained in, his hands clenching into fists at his sides as he realised that he couldn’t reach Natsu.

    A low growl rumbled through the room, and Gray’s eyes widened as he realised it had come from Natsu, swallowing hard at the raw fury that had seeped into the Dragon-slayer’s expression as he’d realised that was Gray was still being kept from him. He swallowed as the flames that had been kept firmly corralled around Natsu’s body flared out in response to his anger. He had heard tales from Erza about what Natsu could be like in this state, but he had never witnessed it for himself, and right then he wished that he had never had cause to.

“Stay back,” there was none of the warmth and passion that Gray associated with Natsu’s voice in those two simple words, and he shivered slightly at the tone before heeding the warning and stepping back, watching as Erza did the same on the far side of the room. Golden light flared as she re-quipped into her Flame-Empress armour, and seeing the way that Natsu’s flames were growing Gray hastily erected an Ice shield in front of himself. It wouldn’t completely protect him from flames like these, but it might lessen the damage, normally he knew that he had absolutely nothing to fear from Natsu, but he wasn’t sure that this Natsu had the fine control necessary to avoid catching them with his attack.

   Just as he had out in the corridor, Natsu closed his eyes and allowed his draconic side to take charge, trusting it to want to protect Gray as much as he did. Power surged up his chest, and his eyes flew open just as his flames rushed forward, ripping through the barriers holding Gray and Erza in place as though they were made of tissue paper and slamming into the wall at the end of the room blasting a large hole through it. The second he had seen the runes flicker and die Natsu quenched his flames and dashed into the room, heading for Gray who was gaping wide-eyed at the destruction Natsu had caused, and he only just managed to turn in time to catch Natsu as the Dragon-slayer slammed into him.

“Natsu!”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are…?” Natsu was rambling, slowly feeling himself coming back on an even keel now that Gray was right there in front of him.

“Natsu I’m fine,” Gray protested, cutting into the frantic questions as the Dragon-slayer ran worried hands over him, clearly searching for any hidden injuries and when Natsu continued as though he hadn’t heard him the Ice mage sighed before reaching out to grasp his hands in a firm grip. “Look at me,” he ordered sternly, waiting patiently until olive eyes finally rose to meet his gaze, finding his thoughts being derailed as he took in the sheer relief and lingering terror in Natsu’s eyes and he swallowed. _What did I ever do to deserve having you look at me in that way?_

“Gray?” Natsu’s voice was alarmed, and that immediately broke into Gray’s suddenly turbulent thoughts, and he blinked as he stared into worried olive eyes immediately feeling guilty for adding to the Dragon-slayer’s concern. Offering him a warm smile he raised one hand to gently cup Natsu’s cheek, his fingers carefully caressing the rough scales and his expression softened as Natsu nuzzled against his touch with a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” he murmured softly as he realised that the Dragon-slayer was still trembling. And he was only slightly surprised when he was tackled by a warm body seconds later as Natsu tightly wrapped his arms around him, burying his face against the Ice mage’s chest with a sound that was suspiciously like a sob. Gray’s expression tightened at the noise, and he clutched Natsu against himself, whispering calming words into the Dragon-slayer’s ear as he gently rubbed his mate’s back.

“I thought I lost you,” Natsu finally spoke up in a small voice, making no move to remove his head from its hiding place but Gray heard the quiet words loud and clear. “When I realised you weren’t there…” A violent shudder ran through the Dragon-slayer’s body as he recalled the moment that he had realised Gray was gone, and Gray stiffened as he felt a brief flare of his mate’s terror leak through the bond before Natsu could hold it back.

“Shh,” Gray whispered gently, carefully pushing Natsu back a step so that he could look into his eyes, lifting Natsu’s face with a finger when the Dragon-slayer tried to avoid looking at him. “I’m here now. You rescued us…thank you Natsu.” Surprise flashed through the olive eyes before being replaced with tears of relief as Natsu slumped against him, and he watched as magic rippled across the Dragon-slayer’s skin as his scales faded away until it was like they had never been there.

   Erza smiled softly as she watched the pair, having carefully lingered to one side knowing that Natsu had needed Gray at that moment and not her, although she had every intention of thanking him later once he had recovered. However, as she watched Natsu slumping even further against the Ice mage, she knew that he had reached his limit just like he had after his battle with Jellal that time and she knew that they needed to get out of there before he passed out completely.

“Come on let’s get out of here,” she said softly as she finally moved across to join them, smiling as Natsu slowly lifted his head to peer at her, and she couldn’t quite keep the concern out of her voice as she asked. “Can you walk?”

“Yeah,” he nodded after a moment, not entirely sure if that was true as it felt as though all the energy had been drained out of him at that moment and all he wanted to do was curl up with his mate and sleep for a few days. Blinking heavily, he pulled back and took a cautious step back, grimacing when he swayed slightly, and he jolted slightly as an arm wrapped around him stopping him before he could wind up in a heap on the floor.

“Here let me help you,” Gray said softly, carefully shifting his hold so that he had his arm was wrapped around the Dragon-slayer’s shoulder, reaching up to wrap Natsu’s arm around his neck when he made no move to do it himself.

“But…”

“Natsu,” Gray cut across the weak protest without hesitation, fighting the urge to roll his eyes at the stubborn Fire mage. “You’ve done enough, so let me do this alright?” There was a brief pause before Natsu let out a soft sigh of defeat before nodding in agreement, missing the relief that flashed across Gray’s face as he’d been bracing himself for more of an argument. Not wanting to give Natsu chance to come up with more arguments he quickly gestured for Erza to lead the way out of their prison, immediately following after her, carefully helping Natsu to walk forward.

****

    Lucy was the first to spot the threesome leaving the wreckage of the warehouses, letting out a relieved cry as she dashed towards them with Happy close on her heels. She had honestly begun to fear the worst, especially when the second warehouse had suffered an explosion a half hour before, only Natsu’s promise that he wouldn’t get himself killed had stopped her from rushing in. A quick examination of the other two showed that apart from some minor bumps and bruises, and a cut on Gray’s head they were unharmed although they were covered in debris and ash from their escape from the burning complex.

“Thank heavens I was beginning to think…”

“Sorry,” Natsu mumbled wearily as he glanced at her, catching the honest concern in her eyes as she studied him and he offered her a weak attempt at a smile. “It took a bit longer than I thought,” he admitted as he leant against Gray. Fairly sure that it was only the arm that the Ice mage had wrapped around his waist that was keeping him upright at this stage and part of him was surprised that he hadn’t just collapsed into a heap like he had after beating Jellal.

   Erza in the meantime had been glancing around with a mix of horror and shock as she took in the burning buildings, paling as she realised that the first one they had worked their way through was now little more than a burnt out wreck. Part of her had been expecting something like this after seeing the state that Natsu had been in when he’d rescued him, but it was very different to expect something than it was to see it with her own eyes and she couldn’t keep the shock out of her voice as she turned to glance at Lucy.

“What the hell happened?”

“Natsu happened,” Lucy replied with a wry twist of her lips, watching as Gray carefully eased the Dragon-slayer onto the ground, promptly sitting down as well to support him when Natsu swayed before carefully tugging Natsu down so that he was lying with his head in the Ice mage’s lap. Gray leant down for a moment to whisper something in the Dragon-slayer’s ear, and Natsu nodded silently before letting his eyes close, his body going limp a moment later as he gave in to his exhaustion.

“Natsu did all this?” Gray asked softly once he was sure that Natsu was asleep, one hand gently brushing through sweaty, pink locks as he finally took a proper look at the destruction that his mate had managed to cause in the short time that they had been separated.

“You disappeared on him, how were you expecting him to react?” Lucy demanded as she planted her hands on her hips, remembering the expression on Natsu’s face when he had first realised that Gray had been taken and praying that she wouldn’t get to see that again any time soon.

“But.” Gray halted himself as he glanced down at Natsu, the peaceful sleeping face completely at odds with the powered-up form of the Dragon-slayer that had burst into their prison. At some level, he had always known just how far Natsu would go for him. After all, how many times had Natsu been hurt protecting him, but it was the first time he had truly appreciated what that meant, and while he knew part of it was down to Natsu’s draconic instincts he knew that a larger part of it stemmed from Natsu himself.

_Stupid Flamebrain, you’re always going too far for us…for me._


End file.
